


With Heavy Hearts

by WriteEditLife



Series: SweetVee Seduction Series [7]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Funerals, Grief/Mourning, POV First Person, Singing, northside vs southside, river vixens - Freeform, southside serpents, sweetvee, you'll never walk alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 22:58:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15011267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteEditLife/pseuds/WriteEditLife
Summary: Sweet Pea and Veronica attend Midge's funeral in 2x19.





	With Heavy Hearts

Veronica Lodge was used to feeling despair. Her life had taken a turn since she moved to Riverdale, with her high society upbringing in a downward spiral as she became the daughter of a criminal, but that feeling that always fueled her to fight back and take control.  But here she stood, rooted to the spot, while this unseen cloud seeped into her soul and clouded her usually powerful mind.  She had never felt such utter helplessness until this moment.

 

Standing in the cold snow in her boots, her gloved hands gently clasping the delicate white rose. Veronica didn’t dare move, not wanting to take any attention away from her friend who deserved it, so she quietly cleared her throat and focused her gaze on the top of the shiny black casket just a few feet in front of her. The casket of her friend, Midge Klump.

 

Veronica had recently become aware of her family’s business dealings, but she had never seen violence disrupt her life so completely as it did when she saw Midge’s body dangling from the backdrop of the stage at the end of the show that night. Veronica was careful to keep her face neutral, as a sharp shiver went through her spine that had nothing to do with the winter weather. She felt her parent’s solemn presence on either side of her, the silence was broken only by the uncontrollable sobs of Midge’s mom on the other side of the casket.

 

Veronica and Midge weren’t the closest of friends, but Veronica will always remember the supportive smile of the girl with the cute pixie cut when she attended try-outs for the River Vixens. Cheryl Blossom had been her focus, trying to slay the fire dragon and get a win in this small town for her and Betty, but Midge was always there, in the background, quiet and friendly. It was only staring at her casket that Veronica wished she had made more of an effort to befriend Midge. Her thoughts were broken when the unmistakable voice of Cheryl slowly began to fill the large circle of mourners on the cemetery grounds.

 

_When you walk through a storm_  
Hold your head up high  
And don't be afraid of the dark

As Cheryl sang, Veronica found her dark eyes wondering from the casket to the River Vixens, decked out in fab and appropriately black River Vixen outfits, heads bowed in respect. Betty and her family were to Veronica’s right, while Archie was on her left, Sheriff Keller, Jughead and the Serpents, the Bulldogs and even the Blossoms, as well as other students and faculty, were across from her. And oddly, it was this moment Veronica truly felt like she was a part of this town. She had also never felt this scared in her life.

 

Veronica glanced back at Cheryl briefly, taking in the sweet words her friend has singing, and recognizing it as an anthem of hope as much as a goodbye. Veronica felt a surge of raw emotion pass through her veins and glanced back at the other mourners to reclaim her focus. This was about honoring Midge. Her thoughts were interrupted though, once she realized that everyone else was looking at Cheryl. Except for him. _Sweet Pea._

Veronica nearly did a double take, initially thinking the tall Serpent she had come to find strength through had his head bowed in prayer. He was a bit unrecognizable without his usual plaid or Serpent jacket, but his faded black suit fit him well. His short, black locks had fallen over his forehead, his jaw clenched hard in anger of a much more frustrated and this-could-have-been-prevented way, and his gaze appeared to be focused on the flowers atop Midge’s casket.

 

Veronica forgot to blink as she watched him, the mysterious guy who had captivated her that night at the rumble, at the Wyrm, in the halls of Riverdale and beyond. There had always been an agenda there; a constant internal battle between the North and South sides of town, between the Serpents and the Bulldogs. His walls always up, ready to fight no matter the situation. But what she saw now was new. It was not defeat, or a sense of defenselessness. He looked like a man, a simple man, mourning for a girl he barely knew in the only way he knew how. Giving death the respect it commanded and the silence of loss of a young life taken too soon in a senseless way. It was once again a whole new side of him, and it was one Veronica could once again identify with.

_At the end of a storm_  
There's a golden sky  
And the sweet silver song of a lark

At the end of the next verse, Veronica realized she still hadn’t looked away from Sweet Pea and he appeared to not have noticed her gaze, but only as he was still focused on showing his respect to Midge. Veronica knew the two of them weren’t close, if for no other reason than her gossipy personality has pulled out of Midge that the only Serpent she really interacted with at all was Fangs, and that was because of the play production. Still, there was something deeply personal about Sweet Pea’s demeanor at the cemetery, like a practiced sort of devotion learned from growing up religious, and Veronica suddenly wondered whether or not there was a cross underneath his shirt.

 

That thought did make Veronica break her gaze, and she watched Reggie attempt to silently comfort Moose, who appeared to be fighting a losing battle of not crying openly. Jughead was staring down at the ground, his face in a deep frown, clearly willing himself to calm down and Veronica knew if she turned to look at Betty, she would see heartbreak behind her friend’s green eyes.

_You'll never walk alone_

Veronica was struck by just how beautiful Cheryl’s singing was, and how fiercely dedicated to her Vixens Cheryl was. As the song came to a close, Alice and Betty were the first to walk forward and place their roses on the casket. Veronica waited patiently for her turn and silently followed her mother past the casket, carefully not to look at Midge’s mother, who was now openly distraught. Fighting the urge to flee, Veronica blinked, cleared her throat and flexed her now empty hands, as Cheryl stepped back up towards the coffin and gave a rather characteristically Carrie speech about getting justice for Midge.

****

Sweet Pea was cold. He was used to this feeling, growing up on the southside, in a trailer with no heat and hand me down clothes that never fit for long with his constant growth spurts. But he would never complain about his feelings since the girl in the coffin in front of him was a lot colder than he was. Sweet Pea didn’t know Midge Klump himself. The gigantic photo of her smiling face to his right told him that she was a shy girl from the River Vixens, and he vaguely recognized her face from the Riverdale gym when students had to share the space at the school.

 

It was an odd feeling, attending a funeral. _Even more so for someone you didn’t know and attending surrounded by people you didn’t like and didn’t like you._ But a young girl was dead and suddenly the town didn’t care about northside and southside like it did every other day. Today was about Midge. So Sweet Pea put on his suit and went to the cemetery and stood with the other Serpents.

 

The service was nice. Midge was clearly loved by many people, as the entire town turned out to say their goodbyes. Sweet Pea found himself standing about three rows back, behind Sheriff Keller and FP, most of the Serpents to his left and the Bulldogs he had beaten the crap out of at the rumble to his right. But there was no fighting here. Only unity for Midge, a life lost too soon. Sweet Pea was used to death coming early for southsiders, but even as a Serpent he had never really worried about his mortality. Being in a gang could be desensitizing to some ideas. But other than having Andrews stick a gun in his face, _Sweet Pea had never felt death’s grip on his soul that closely._

 

But now, standing in front of that casket, that smiling image of innocence gone too soon, the number of mourners and Cheryl Blossom’s singing, Sweet Pea wished he had known Midge. Sweet Pea hadn’t been involved with this musical, finding the whole idea stupid and it wasn’t like Cheryl needed more attention, but Fangs has been super involved and had been pretty upset after seeing Midge’s body like that.

Sweet Pea kept his gaze on the casket, his jaw clenched in frustration as he tried to recall prayers and scripture he learned from his grandmother before she passed. That was the last funeral he had attended, and even though he had been just 11, Sweet Pea had been struck by how deeply aware he had been that he was officially alone in the world, with no one else sharing his blood on the planet. Sweet Pea bowed his head more, shaking his thoughts loose to focus on Midge, and prayed that she would find peace in death, after a violent and undeserving end in life.

 

Sweet Pea stayed like that for the remainder of the funeral, using his thoughts to wish Midge well, while mourners around him wailed in sorrow and laced white roses on her casket. Sweet Pea looked up as Betty and Alice Cooper walked by, Betty clearly upset, which meant Jughead was as well, not that he needed to look to be sure. Those two were like a mirror of each other. It wasn’t until a familiar looking black boot stepped up to the casket, that Sweet Pea really even noticed the girl who usually captivated his attention.

 

She was wearing a mask once again, but her sorrow was apparent behind her eyes, as she laid the white rose on the casket. Sweet Pea noticed she was without her usual pearls, a nice gesture of conformity, recognizing Veronica’s need to not take attention away from her friend Midge. Sweet Pea may have always been mesmerized by Veronica’s bravery and wit, but he was somehow comforted that she matched that intensity with her high level of compassion for those close to her. Veronica knew when to shine and when to step aside.

 

He sensed that her heart was as heavy as his, even more as she actually knew Midge. What surprised him was his sudden urge to reach out and comfort her, strange because there were so many people around and because their interactions that always been laced with playfulness. But her stoic demeanor, standing tall in front of her friend’s casket after seeing her body, Sweet Pea had real respect for Veronica. She was not some plaything or fragile princess who was coddled by her family’s mob lifestyle. She was fierce, independent and capable all in her own right and she understood the value of friendship, loyalty, and family. He identified with that and supported her for it.

 

Cheryl’s singing came to a close and was of course followed by an open threat, as only Cheryl could deliver. Afterward, the crowd quickly dispersed, everyone moving back towards the road to leave, subconsciously segregating into northsiders and southsiders once again, like a silent truce was coming to an end. Sweet Pea felt Fangs at his side, his friends lost deep in thought and the moment of still too raw for the right words, not that Sweet Pea had them.

 

 A glance around told him that the Serpents were heading back to their bikes, Sheriff Keller was attempting to comfort a woman Sweet Pea assumed with Midge’s mother, Jughead was walking closely with Betty and Veronica was right by their side with Archie. He felt a small tug at his heart seeing that sight, but he found solace in the fact that she was among friends, and for as broken as the town was right now, that was probably for the best. As Sweet Pea started his bike, he felt a sense of dread wash of him, like some invisible shield that been broken and somehow, Midge’s death was just the beginning. As he drove away, he glanced back towards the cemetery once more, and his eyes found Veronica’s, who was walked towards her own vehicle. It was fleeting, but he definitely received a comforting smile from her before speeding away back to the southside.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
> 
> On tumblr as @dreamer757


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